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Help finding a fitting

12-19-2012, 08:41 PM

I'm installing a humidifier in my house once it comes in, and I'm looking for a specific fitting.

I have the Viega manifold, and instead of hooking this thing up like a shoemaker by tapping into an existing line, I want the humidifier to have it's own port on my manifold. I have plenty ports left over, and I need a push fitting or pex fitting to get me from 1/2" to 1/4" or 3/8" to 1/4".

For the life of me, I can't find exactly what I'm looking for.

and before anyone asks, I didn't install the manifold in my house, it was either pex or cpvc offered by the builder. Asking if I could pay for copper during pre-construction, I got an emphatic "NO" right in my face.

May or may not be what you want to do. All I can think of right now other than a 1/2" PEX x 3/8" stop to a 3/8" x 1/4" compression coupling. But that seems to get into more transitions that necessary.

Never use 3/8" crimp PEX myself. Seen it somewhere, but it's just never done here. Couldn't find the stuff to do it anywhere here.

I thought of doing it that way, but it's not exactly what I'm looking for. I appreciate it though.

1/2" pex goes to all the tubs in my house, outside faucets, and something else (I forget), and 3/8" for the lavs.

Slowly but surely I'm straightening out the Plumbing in an 8 month old house. I ripped my entire drywall down on my basement ceiling (except sunroom) and it's funny the things you see that you couldn't see during construction cause it was so damn dark. Quite a few mistakes were found and items not hooked up....next is the insulation on my basement walls coming down.

Comment

John Guest Speedfit - The World Leader in Push-fit Fittings, Pipe and Plastic Plumbing Systems - Home I would use a John Guest fitting. Don't buy the Watts or any other version unless you want a leak. This is a push on fitting. You can get all types of sizes. We use these all of the time on Reverse osmosis systems, and the rep had just come by showing us that they have new fittings approved for pex, in the wall applications. I will still use uponor propex, but they don't have a way to go down to the size your needing, so I would use one of these fittings.

John Guest Speedfit - The World Leader in Push-fit Fittings, Pipe and Plastic Plumbing Systems - Home I would use a John Guest fitting. Don't buy the Watts or any other version unless you want a leak. This is a push on fitting. You can get all types of sizes. We use these all of the time on Reverse osmosis systems, and the rep had just come by showing us that they have new fittings approved for pex, in the wall applications. I will still use uponor propex, but they don't have a way to go down to the size your needing, so I would use one of these fittings.

They don't seem to have anything that goes down to 1/4" on their website. Those are the exact type of fittings I'm looking for though.

Comment

an angle stop is your best bet. gives you a shut off valve and reduces to 1/4'' ice maker size. instead on a 5/8'' compression connection, just use a fip stop and a pex mip adapter.

pretty sure john guest makes a similar plastic shut off valve. i know they make them in 1/4'' and 3/8'' as used in undercounter filters. pretty sure they will have 5/8'' x 3/8'' and then another 3/8'' x 1/4'' which is very common for me.

if you don't want a brass angle stop, then the john guest is the way to go. there are even all plastic push on/ shark bite style angle stops that go from 1/2'' cts to 1/4'' od. very common for ice maker installs.

Comment

Yea Rick, I really don't want to have to use the angle stop, unless I'm forced to do so.

I wish Viega (or someone else) would make a fitting for those who have their manifolds. It defeats the purpose of the manifold, if we have to cut into an existing, dedicated line for a humidifier.

If my ice maker line is dedicated, I see no reason why they can't do it for the humidifier...ya know?

I'll have to scour the internet for these john guest fittings, cause I couldn't find the fitting I was looking for on their website.

Tool - The only copper in my house is at the water service (and the work I re-did in that area) and my water heater. Yes I could do it that way, but it's a little further away and defeats the purpose of the manifold.

Comment

I will look through my stash tomorrow. I think I have a john guest fitting on my truck that goes from 1/2" pex to 3/8" pex, then you could use a 3/8" to 1/4" I will look. Maybe I am just hopped up on egg nog, and don't know what the hell I'm talking about.